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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · content · lean · branch · land · deal · board · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. land — a country
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. content — happy
  8. lean — thin
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. content — the amount
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. chest — of your body
  15. land — ground
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. board — a committee
  19. branch — a division
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. land — to come down
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com